Paxman attacks

Jeremy Paxman will savage TV bosses today for having lost the trust of viewers.

The Newsnight host, known for grilling politicians, intends to slam chiefs for losing "sense of what TV is for", in a speech at the Edinburgh Television Festival.

A source said: "Jeremy thinks that by chasing profits, ratings and what they think viewers want, bosses risk making all TV the same. He feels they are devaluing a powerful medium."

Mr Paxman will also use his address, the annual MacTag-gart lecture, to attack Tony Blair and his government for a decade of spin which he blames for an erosion of faith in politics and leaders.

The festival opens the day after research was published showing viewers' trust in TV has plummeted following a string of deception scandals. The YouGov survey revealed 80 per cent who entered TV phone-in contests vowed not to do so again as they no longer trust the organisers.

Half the population now "do not trust TV very much to tell the truth". The figures show public reaction to scandals over abuse of contests on Channel 4, the BBC and Five.

There were also editing blunders that led to apologies to the Queen and the widow of an Alzheimer's sufferer.

The survey found 60 per cent believe reality TV is now edited to mislead.